Cleaning apparatus



March 7, 1961 E. L. FRANKE, JR

CLEANING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8., 1959 INVENTOR E. LFRA NKE, JR. BY

A ITORNEY E. L. FRANKE, JR 2,973,533

CLEANING APPARATUS March 7, 1961 Filed June 8, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 aWW ATTORNEY March 7, 1961 E. FRANKE, JR

CLEANING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 8, 1959 INVENTOR.

E L. FRANKE JR 47' O/PNEV March 7, 1961 E. FRANKE, JR 2,973,533

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June 8, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTOR E. L.FRANKE,JR

ATTORNEY CLEANING APPARATUS Edward L. Franke, Jr., Cub Hill, Md,assignorto Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N .Y., acorporation of New York Filed June 8, 1959, Ser. No. 818,865

-6 Claims. (Cl. 15-21) The present invention relates generally tocleaning apparatus, and more particularly ;to apparatus for cleaning aflexible helical article such as a spring cord.

Accordingly, the general .object of the invention is to provide new andimproved cleaning apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatusfor cleaning a flexiblehelical article, such as a'spring cord.

According to a preferred process of manufacturing spring cords fortelephone handsets, a desired straight length of jacketed multiconductorcordage is wound in a helixalong the length of a rotating landlongitudinally moving mandrel, preferably as disclosed in a relatedcopending application of E. C. Hardesty and D. L. Myers, Serial No. 681,035, filed on August 29, 1957, now Patent No. 2,920,351. As disclosedin that application, the cordage is first cut to length, and is thentipped and banded before winding on the mandrel. After the windingoperation, the trailing end .of :the cord is clamped to the mandrel, andthenthe mandrel with the helical coil clamped thereto is placed in anoven and heat treated.

in a preferred type of cord, the jacketing material comprises a multiplyplasticized polyvinyl-chloride composition having elastic properties, asdisclosed in a related copending application .of V. T. Wallder, SerialNo. 529,641, filed on August 22, 1955, and now abandoned. According tothat application, a suitable elastic composition comprises 50-70 partsby weight of polyvinyl chloride which may contain up to about l% ofcopolymerized vinyl acetate, 15-25 parts by weight of a monomericplasticizer such as di-Z-ethyl'hexyl phthalate, 15-25 parts by weight ofa polymeric plasticizer such as a dibasic acid-glycol polyester,andminor proportions of suitable stabilizers, lubricants and pigments.The cord is heated on the winding mandrel to a temperature above thesoftening point of the polyvinyl-chloridecomposition to relieve strainsinthe jacketing material and to impart retractility, andis then cooled.

After cooling to room temperature, the heat-treated cord is-removedfrom-the mandrel and the pitch of-the helix is reversedin order toprovide a cord having greater retractility, as disclosed in applicantsrelated copending application, Serial "No..68l,034, filed on August 29,1957, now Patent No. 2,920,348. As disclosed in that application, anendless conveyor is provided having'a succession of opposing, alignedpairs of rotatable clamps mounted thereon for advancement therewith. Ata loading station, a succession of cords is inserted between theadvancing pairs of clamps, each cord being secured at each end amass tPatented ,Mar. 7, 1961 to that of the reversing operation in order toremove the overtwist.

As disclosed in .;a second copending application of the applicant,Serial No. 812,722, filed on May 12, 1959, and in a copendingapplication of M. W. Richter and D.-G. Stetka, Serial No. 812,721, filedon May 12, 1959, a cordstretching station is provided near the front ofthe machine. At the stretching station, the advancing cords are deformedinto an undulate configuration to separate adjacent convolutionsof thecords.

It has been found that in a cord-forming process of this type,specificallyone wherein the polyvinyl-chloride composition describedhereinbefore is heated above its softening point at one stage in theprocess, the surfaces of the cords become roughened andtscaly.'lnaddition, the cordsare likely to accumulate .miscellaneousdirt andother surface impurities, whichconditions make it highly desirable toscrub the cords thoroughly before they are finished and packaged.Conveniently a scrubbing station, according to thezpresent invention, isincorporated into the spring-cord working machine described inapplicants copending applications between the-stretching station and thehelix-reversing :station.

Accordingly, aspecific object of the present invention is to provide aconveyorized apparatus designed for thoroughly scrubbing a succession ofspring cords after a heat-treating and a convolution-separatingoperation and before a helix-reversing operation.

The foregoing and otherobjects are accomplished, according to certainfeatures of the invention, by poviding a pairofbrushes'havinggenerallyflat circular brushing surfaces, with matinglystepped, concentric rings of bristles being-formed on the brushingsurfaces thereof. Means are provided for mounting the brushes in:alignment with each other so thattheir brushing surfaces face eachother, together-withmeans-forcausing relative rotation between thebrushes.

Preferably,-oscillating rotation is caused between the brushes inopposition to each other. Means may be provided for settingthe angle ofoscillation at any predeteirnined value between and 300. In addition,means are also provided for causing relative movement of the brushestoward and away from each other, while the brushes-are rotating, topermit adjustment of the spacing therebetween. The spacing is set at apredetermined value between -a position 'whcrethe bristles just contacteach other and -a position wherethe bristles overlap by 20%, based onthe length of the longest bristles. One brush is 'preferredly formedwith at'least five equal width rings of alternating ,long and shortbristles, while the other brush in the pair is formed similarly exceptthat the long and short rings ;are oppositely arranged.

The cleaning apparatus is particularly useful in the scrubbing ofasuccession offiexible helical articles, such as spring cords. In thisapplication of the invention, a plurality of aligned pairs of clamps areprovided for holding opposite ends of the cord, and an endless conveyoris provided for advancing the pairs of clamps in endless synchronizedsuccession so that the cords are carried, transversely oftheir lengths,between the opposingpairs ofbrushes. ".With this arrangement,a-plurality of pairs ofbrushes are positioned along the line ofadvancement ofthe cords sothat allcoiled portions of the cordpass'between at least one opposedpair of the brushes and are thoroughlyscrubbed thereby. The brushes are immersed, at least partially,inadetergentsolution. In an exemplary arrangement, auxiliary conveyormeans areprovided for gripping thecords at intervals between the clampedendsthereof ,andfor assisting the end clamps in pulling the,cords'between the brushes.

Other "Objects, advanta es and features of the invention will appearfrom the following detailed description of a specific embodimentthereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view with portions broken away of a conveyorizedspring-cord working machine illustrating a cord-cleaning apparatusaccording to the invention and a conveyor for advancing a succession ofcords;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section, taken generally along the line2-2 of Fig. 1 and illustrating brushes ac cording to the invention, arotating mechanism therefor, and portions of the conveyor;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical section, taken generallyalong the line 3-3 of Fig. l and illustrating a pair of brushes togetherwith an auxiliary conveyor for pulling a succession of cords between thebrushes;

Fig. 4 is an exploded, fragmentary, transverse section through a pair ofthe brushes, taken generally along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 2 and havingportions broken away to reveal structural details;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through the bristles of one ofthe brushes, taken generally along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the apparatusillustrated in Fig. 1, taken generally along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 andshowing the construction ofa preferred form of conveyor for the cords,and

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view, taken generally along the line7-7 of Fig. 2 and showing portions of the brush-rotating mechanism.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and in particular to Fig. 1,portions of a conveyorized spring-cord working machine are shown in planview. The machine includes a conveyor, designated generally by thenumeral 10, for advancing a continuous succession of spring cords 11-11from left to right, as viewed in Fig. 1. As illustrated in Fig. 1 thecords 11-11 are advanced, trans versely of their lengths, from a loadingstation L, past a scrubbing area S, and then to a rinsing station R.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in the scrubbing area S, the cords11-11 are advanced by the conveyor 10 between a plurality of pairs ofopposed brushes the brushes in each pair being designated generally bythe numerals 12 and 13. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the pairs of brushes1212 and 13-13 are arranged specifically in two offset vertical rows, soas to enable scrubbing of the entire coiled lengths of the cords 11-11advancing through the scrubbing area S. Preferably, the cords 11-11advance horizontally and the brush pairs are arranged vertically,although this is not absolutely necessary. It is preferred to providethe conveyor 10 with a diverging section, indicated in phantom lines anddesignated by the numeral 14, in order to stretch the cords 11-11 asthey pass between the pairs of brushes 12 and 13.

A preferred brush construction is illustrated particularly in Figs. 4and 5, it being understood that all of the other brushes 12-12 and 13-13correspond to those shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Each of the brushes 12-12and 13-13 is provided with a disk-shaped base 17 having a driving collar18 fastened thereto. Each of the collars 18-18 is pinned to a stub shaft19, and the stub shafts 19-19 of each brush pair are drivenoscillatingly rotatably in opposite directions to each other by means ofa drive system designated generally by the numeral 21, best illustratedin Figs. 2 and 7, and to be described in detail hereinafter under theheading Brush Drive System 21.

As viewed in Fig. 4, each upper brush 12 has a generally flat, circularbrushing surface A, while the corresponding lower brush 13 is providedwith a similar brushing surface B. The opposing brushes 12 and 13 areprovided with matingly stepped, concentric rings of bristles formed onthe brushing surfaces A and B thereof.

In a preferred arrangement illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the lower brush13 is provided with seven alternating rings C and D of short bristles22-22 and long bristles 4 23-23 respectively. The rings C and D, at thebases thereof, are preferably of equal widths and it is preferred toprovide at least five such rings of equal width with the bristlesthereof covering substantially the entire brushing surface of the brush13. The upper brush 12 is formed with alternating rings C and D of shortbristles 22-22 and long bristles 23-23 respectively. The rings C and Dare arranged exactly the same as the rings C and D of the lower brush13, except that the positions of theshort and long-bristle rings C and Dare reversed.

Specifically, the short-bristle rings C of the upper brush 12 areprecisely aligned with the long-bristle rings D of the lower brush 13,and the long-bristle rings D of the upper brush 12 are aligned with theshort-bristle rings C of the lower brush 13. As illustrated, the twobrushes 12 and 13 are exactly aligned in the vertical direction at alltimes. In operation, the brushes 12 and 13 are moved together, from theexploded position illustrated in Fig. 4, to an operative meshingposition indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. Means, designated generally by thenumeral 24, are provided for adjusting the spacing between the brushes12-12 and 13-13 by moving them toward and away from eachother. Suchmeans 24 are best illustrated in Fig. 2 and will be describedhereinafter under the heading Adjusting Means 24.

In the operative position, the brushes 12 and 13 are in intermeshingengagement with each other so that the long bristles 23-23 of the upperbrush 12 contact, and preferably overlap, the short bristles 22-22 ofthe lower brush 13. Conversely, the short bristles 22-22 of the upperbrush 12 contact or overlap the long bristles 23-23 of the lower brush13.

In the machine illustrated, wherein the long bristles are two incheslong and the short bristles are one and one-half inches long, it hasbeen determined that an overlap of about one-quarter inch produces bestresults. This is an overlap of l2 /2% based on the length of the longbristles. The spacing between the brushes should be adjusted empericallyfor each application, but the amount of overlap is preferably within therange of from 0% (just touching) to 20%, based on the length of the longbristles.

Preferably, the bristles '22-22 and 23-23 are made of a soft, strong,pliable, and resilient material; specifically a nylon product made by E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company of Wilmington, Delaware and identified asTynex. The bristle diameter should be of the order Of one hundredth ofan inch, The bristles 22-22 and 23-23 are disposed in individual tufts25-25 of approximately fifty to seventy-five bristles each, with thetufts 25-25 being disposed about one-half inch apart in all directionsso as to provide flexibility by allowing considerable bending of thebristles in all directions. The tufts 25-25 are cemented into the bases17-17 in a succession of circular arrays, as illustrated in Fig. 5, andflare outward from the bases 17-17 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4.The tufts 25-25 are disposed at such intervals (about one-half inch inthe preferred eX- ample) that the entire brushing surfaces A and B aresubstantially covered with the bristles 22-22 and 23-23 and so thatthere are no bare spaces on the brushing surfaces A and B.

In using the brushes, an article to be cleaned (such as an extendedspring cord 11 before described) is ad vanced between the brushes 12 and13 in a horizontal plane midway between the bases 17-17. As the articleadvances between the brushes, the soft and pliable bristles 22--22 and23-23 are pushed by the article out of the path thereof so as to allowrelatively unrestrained passage of the article. The bristles then springback to their original positions immediately after the article haspassed. Since the bristles 22-22 and 23-23 mesh with each other, andsince they are easily deformed, they are bent so as to fit into andscrub thoroughly every contour and external surface of the article. Forthis reason, these 5 brushes are especially useful in the scrubbing of a'fairly thin article having a complex surface configuration,particularly a flexible helical article such as a spring cord.

As previously mentioned, the meshing brushes 12 and 13 undergooscillation rotation in opposition to each other, so that relativecircular movement is caused between each of the various meshing rings -Dand C'-D at substantially all times. This oscillating movement has beenfound highly effective in the cleaning of spring cords. While thebrushes rotate in one direction, the bristles are deformed in onedirection so as to clean certain surfaces of the cord 11 very well and,upon reversal of the rotation, the bristles are bent in the oppositedirection so as to clean the other surfaces of the cord. The angle ofoscillation (by which is meant the angle through which each brush isrotated before reversing direction) is best set between about 180 andabout 300, and in the subject machine is preferably set at about 250.The optimum angle of oscillation depends on various process factors, andis best determined empirically in each individual case.

As previously mentioned, the conveyor 10 operates to advance the cords11-11 between the upper brushes 12-12 and the lower brushes 13-13. Sincethe meshing and rotating brush pairs do offer some appreciableresistance to the advancement of the cords 11-11, and since the cords11-11 might otherwise become twisted in the axial direction by thebrushes, it is desirable to provide series of auxiliary conveyors,designated generally by the numerals 26-26, to assist in pulling thecords 11-11 between the brushes. This system-is best illustrated in Fig.3 and will be described hereinafter under the heading AuxiliaryConveyors 26-26.

As indicated in Fig. 4, the lower brushes 13-13 are immersed in adetergent solution. One suitable detergent solution for thepolyvinyl-chloride jacketed cords 11-11 described hereinbefore consistsof an aqueous solution of Igepal, a nonionic polymerized ethylene oxidecondensation product manufactured by the General Dyestuif Corporation ofNew York. As viewed in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the lower brushes 13-13 fitslidably through sealed apertures in the bottom of a tank 27 containingthe detergent.

After the cords 11-11 advance out of the scrubbing area S, they advanceto the rinsing station R Where watersprays 23-28 (Fig. 1) are directedagainst the cords 11-11 to wash off thede'tergent-solution and anyaccumulated, loosened impurities. After the rinsing station R, the cords11-11 advance to a drying station (assumed to be immediately off thepageto the ,right of Fig. 1). The drying station is in the nature of anoven, open at both ends, wherein 'the cords :are heated by a current ofhot air.

CONVEYOR 1 0 As best illustrated in Fig. 1, the conveyor '16 includes aplurality of aligned pairs of clamps designated generally by thenumerals 29-29, each pair being designed for clamping the-oppositeends-of aspring-cord 11. An

endless succession of. the aligned pairs of clamps '29- 29, eachcarrying a cord 11 therebetween, is advanced from left to right asviewed in Fig. 1 by the conveyor 10. At the loading station L, anoperator fastens the ends of a cord 11 between the advancingclamps29-29, after which the conveyor 10 carries the :clamps 29-29 and thecords 11-11 to the various operating'stations of the machine.

The clamps 29-29 grip'the ends of the cords tightly inorder topreventthe cord ends from-pulling out ofthe clamps during the scrubbingand-other operations. To enable ultimate reversing 'of the 'cords, asmentioned previously, the clamps 29-29 are rotatable; but for thepurposes of the present application the clamps are not rotated. 1f thebrushing apparatus disclosed hereinwere paratus.

used by itself, then nonrote'itable clamps of any suitable type could beprovided.

As viewed in Fig. l, the conveyor 10 includes two endless chains,designated generally by the numerals 32-32, one at each side of theapparatus. As viewed in Fig. 6, each of the chains 32-32 includes aplurality of pivotably connected links 33-33, with a plurality of flatplates 34-34 secured to the outer surfaces of alternate links 33-33. Allor some of the plates 34-34 carry a housing 36, within which isjournalled a shaft 37 of the clamp 29. In the example illustrated, thereis a housing 36 for every second plate 34 in order to provide a desiredspacing between the cords 11-11v consistent with the speed ofadvancement thereof and the operators ability to insert the cords intothe clamps 29-29 at the loading station .L. Other arrangements might beutilized in appropriate cases, such as one housing 36 for each plate 34or one housing 36 for every third plate 34. A clamping jaw 38 is formedat the inner end of each shaft 37.

The links 33-33 of each chain 32 pass around an associated sprocketwheel 39 at the left end of the apparatus, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 6,and about a similar sprocket Wheel (not shown) at the right end of theap- The two sprocket wheels 39-39 at the left are keyed to a commondrive shaft 41 and are driven from a motor 42, through a gear reducer 43and a sprocket-and-chain transmission designated generally by thenumeral 44. With this construction, the opposed pairs of clamps 29-29are always aligned horizontally with each other to advance a continuoussuccession of the cords 11-11 in generally horizontal attitudes,transversely of their lengths, between the brushes 12-12 and 13-13.

The distance between each aligned pair of clamps 29-29 .at any pointalong the line of advancement vof .the cords 11-11 is controlled byproviding a pair of guide rails 46-46 for receiving each of thechains32- 32. The rails 46-46 receive the chains 32-312 therebetween soas to permit sliding horizontal movement of the chains 32-32 under theinfluence of the motor 42. Since it is desired to diverge the alignedpairs of clamps 29-29 so as to stretch the cords 11-11 previous toadvancement thereof to the scrubbing area S the rails 46-46divergeuniformly outward on .both sides of the machine at the diverging section14.

In the embodiment illustrated, as best seen in Fig. 2, two identicalpairs of the rails 46-46 are secured to the top and bottom of a railsupport 47 having an I-channel cross section and being curved to fit thedesired path of the conveyor chains 32-32 indicated in Fig. 1. The upperrails 46-46 illustrated in Fig. 2 receive and guide the upper oroperating runs of the chains 32-452, while the lower rails 46-46 receive.and guide-the lower or return runs of these chains. Onerail support 47is provided at each side of the machine, ,and these members provide themain supporting structure for the conveyor chains 32-32. The supports 47are mounted above the floor on suitable standards 48-48, one of which isillustrated in Fig. 6. Also, a number oftransverse strength members49-49, one of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 6, are secured between thefront and rear rail supports 47-47 at spaced intervals along the lengthof the machine to provide a rigid, integral supporting structure.

BRUSH DRIVE SYSTEM 21 The drive system 21 for oscillating the brushes12-12 and 13-13 in opposition to each other through a predeterminedangle includes a plurality of right-angle drive units, designatedgenerally by the numerals 51-51, one of which is associated with each ofthe brushes 12-12 -and'13-13 and operates to oscillate a correspondingone of the stub shafts 19-19. One of the-drive units 51- '51 isillustrated, in detail, at the bottom of-Fig. 4 and is n; typical of allsuch'drive units throughout the'apparatus.

As there seen, the stub shaft 19 is formed with a vertical connectingshaft 52 projecting from the lower end thereof and having a bevel gear53 formed at its lower end. The bevel gear 53 meshes with a similar gear54, which is keyed to a horizontal connecting shaft 56. The shaft 56 issecured between two adjacent stub shafts 57-57, which shafts runwidthwise across the machine and cover the entire area in which thereare brushes. The connecting shafts 52 and 56 are received within a T-shaped housing 58, which is secured by means of a pair of triangularretaining plates 59-59 and a plurality of bolts 61-61 to a mainsupporting bar 62.

Comparing the drive units 51-51 at the top and bottom of Fig. 4, it willbe noted that, due to the arrangement of the bevel gears 53-53 and 5-54, when the shafts 56-56 at the top and bottom of the figure arerotated in the same direction, the brushes 12 and 13 are rotated inopposite directions.

As viewed in Fig. 2, there is an upper and a lower supporting bar 62 tosupport the upper and lower brushes 1?--12 and 13-13 respectively, andas viewed in Fig. 1 there is a pair of the supporting bars 62-62provided for each row of the brushes. As best seen in Fig. 2, the endshafts 5757 are connected through a pair of universal joints 63-63 toanother pair of shafts 64-64, and then through a second pair ofuniversal joints 66- 66 to a further pair of right-angle drive units 67and 68, illustrated at the right of Fig. 2.

The input to the right-angle drive unit 67 constitutes a square shaft69, which is slidably received within a square sleeve 71 extendingupward from the lower rightangle drive unit 68. With this arrangement,the shaft 69 and the sleeve 71 always turn together, yet the position ofthe upper bar 62 and the brushes 12-12 carried thereby, may be adjustedwith respect to the position of the lower supporting bar 62 and thebrushes 13-13. The input to the lower right-angle drive unit 68constitutes a second square shaft 72, which is slida-bly received withina second square sleeve 73. The sleeve 73 is connected to anotherright-angle drive unit 74, located near the bottom of the apparatus andillustrated also in Fig. 7. The square shafts 69 and 72 and the squaresleeves 71 and 73 all turn together as a unit, although each of thesquare shafts 69 and 71 is slidable Within the associated square sleeves71 and 73.

As shown in Fig. 7, there are two of the drive units 74-74, one for eachof the rows of brushes illustrated in Fig. 1. The drive units 74-74 areconnected to a common shaft 76, which is driven by a pinion 77 keyedthereto. The pinion 77 is subjected to oscillating rotation by means ofa segmental gear 78 in mesh with the pinion 77. The segmental gear 78 isprovided with a tongue 79 (Fig. 2) and is rotatable about a centralshaft 81. The shaft 81 is supported between bearing blocks 82-82 and isfreely rotatable with respect thereto.

The segmental gear 78 is rocked by means of an cecentric rod 83, whichis pivotally connected at its right end to the outer extremity of thetongue 79 and which is pivotally connected at its left end to aneccentric block 84. The eccentric block 84 has a dovetailed surface, andis slidably received within a dovetailing groove .86 formed inthe'surface of an eccentric wheel 87.

The eccentric wheel 87 is continuously rotated by means of a motor 88,through a sprocket-and-chain transmission designated generally by thenumeral 89. As the eccentric wheel 87 rotates, the block 84 is carriedin a circular path with the wheel 87 so as to reciprocate the eccentricrod 83 and to rock the segmental gear 78 in well-known fashion. As thesegmental gear 78 rocks back and forth, in view of the linkagesdescribed hereinbefore, it will be apparent that the brushes 12--12 and13-13 will oscillate in opposite directions to each other. The angle ofoscillation is dependent on the various gear ratios utilized and,specifically, is, dependent on the distance of the eccentric block 84from the center of the eccentric wheel 87, which distance varies thethrow of the eccentric rod 83.

In order to provide an adjustable apparatus, the eccentric block 84 isslidable in the groove 86 to various positions. A lockingnut 91 isprovided to clamp the block 84 to the wheel 87 and to the left end ofthe eccentric rod 83. The nut 91 may be loosened to allow sliding of theblock, and thus setting of the angle of oscillation. In practice, thegear ratios are so arranged and the amount of sliding movement of theblock 84 is so arranged that the limits of oscillation of the brushes12- 12 and 13-13 are between and 300, with the optimum setting beingabout 250. 1

ADJUSTING MEANS 24 The means 24 for adjusting spacing between thebrushes 12-12 and 13-13 includes a hand wheel 93, shown in Figs. 1 and2, which may be turned by an operator in order to move the brushes 12-12and 13-13 uniformly toward and away from each other, even while thebrushes are rotating. The hand wheel 93 is connected to a pair of rightangle drive units 94-94 shown at the upper-left and upper-right of Fig.2 through a connecting shaft 96, so as to turn an associated pair ofvertical shafts 97-97.

The threaded shafts 97-97 are received within threaded apertures formedat either end of the supporting bars 62-62. The shafts 97-97 have aright-hand threaded portion 98 engaging the upper bar 62 and a left-handthreaded portion 99 engaging the lower bar 62. Thus, it will be obviousthat when the hand wheel 93 is rotated slowly in one direction, the twobars 62-62 will be moved toward each other to bring the brushes 12-12and 13-13 into engagement with each other. Conversely, when the handwheel 93 is turned in the opposite direction, the two bars 62-62 will bemoved away from each other so as to move the brushes 12-12 and 13-13apart.

- In order to allow the above-described movement of the bars 62-62, theyare received slidably on a pair of circular supporting columns 101-101.A plurality of clamps 102-402 are associated with the bars 62-62 and,when tightened, operate to clamp the bars 62-62 to the columns 101-101.The columns 101-101 are steadied by means of another pair of clamps103-103, which are mounted one each on a pair of supporting standards104-104. As previously described, the telescoping drive construction forthe brushes 12-12 and 13-13 (utilizing the square shafts 69 and 72received respectively within the square sleeves 71 and 73) allowsadjustment of the spacing between the brushes without interfering withthe rotation thereof.

With this arrangement, it is apparent that the spacing between thebrushes may be adjusted precisely, while the brushes are rotating, tothat amount determined to enable the most eflicient cleaning of theparticular article being processed.-

AUXILIARY CONVEYORS 26-26 The auxiliary conveyors 26-26 for assisting inpulling the cords 11-11 between the meshing brushes 12-12 and 13-13 arebest seen in Figs. 1 and 3. Each of the conveyors 26-26 includes anendless chain 106 equipped with a plurality of lugs 107-107 upstandingtherefrom, which lugs are designed to catch the advancing cords 11-11thereagainst.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is a chain 106 provided be tween eachadjacent pair of brushes 12-12 and 13-13 in the left-hand row and achain 106 between each brush pair in the right-hand row. All of thechains 106-106 are driven from the main conveyor 10 so that the lugs107-107 move at substantially the same speed as the cords 11-11 areadvancing. As viewed in Fig. 3, the lugs 107-107 are spaced closely, ascompared to the spacing between the cords 11-11. With thisarrangea-eraase meat, the advancing cords '11-'11 are pickediupbythelugs 107-107 'just before entering the s'crub'bi'ng area 108 at the top.The finger 108 functions to prevent the cords 11-11 from jumping outof'the pocket.

A wheel 109 is associated witheach of the chairs 106-106 near thedischarge end 'thereof, and functions to facilitate discharge of thecords '11-11from engagement with the carrying lug '107 at the dischargeend of the auxiliary conveyor 26. One such Wheel 109 is illustrated atthe right of 'Fig. "3, and has a diameter greater than the width of thechain. With this construction, the cord 11 is lifted off of the chain106'and is thereby prevented from being carried down by the carryingluug 107 as thatlug passes around a sprocket 111 at the right end of thechain .106. In this connection, it should be observed that the finger108 terminates just before the cord 11 advances to the discharge wheel109,

so as to allow the cord 11 to be dischargedfreelyin a region beyond theright end of'the auxiliary conveyor 26. .As the vcord 11 is .sodischarged, it is immediately picked up at other positionsalo-ng itslength by similar lugs 107-107 formed onthe chains 106-106 associatedwith the row .of-brushes .12-12 and..13-13 at therright of Fig. l. Thecord 11.is similarly dischargedby corresponding wheels 109-109 near theextreme right of Fig. 1, just prior to advancement to therinsingstationR. The chains 106-106 are all driven from a sprocket wheel 112(Fig. 1) which is in meshingenga'gernent with V the chain 32 of the main.conveyor .10. vThe support 47 (Fig. 2) for the chains32-32 is made intwo spaced pieces (not shown) at apoint along its length to allowreception of the sprocket wheel 112 therebetween.

The sprocket wheel 112 :drives the chains 106-106 for the left row ofbrushes through the following linkages: a shaft'113 keyed to "thesprocket wheel 112; a

gear 114 fixed to the other end of the shaft 113; a gear 116 meshingwith the gear 114; a shaft 117 keyed to the gear 116; a sprocket wheel118 fixed to the shaft 117; a chain 119 passing around the sprocketwheel 118 and, also, a sprocket wheel 121; a shaft 122 fixed to thesprocket wheel 121, which shaft 122 is coextensive in length with theextent of brushes 12-12 and 13-13; and a plurality of sprocket wheels123-123 keyed to the shaft 122 at predetermined spaced intervalstherealong and about which the chains 106-106 pass, the intervals beingso selected that the chains 106-106 run in the spaces between the brushpairs 12-12 and 13-13 in the left-hand row of Fig. 1.

The chains 106-106 associated with the right-hand brush pairs are alsodriven from the sprocket wheel 112 through the various sprockets andgears just described, the sprocket wheels 111-111 at the right ends ofthe left auxiliary conveyors 26-26, just described; a common shaft 124-rnounted similarly to the shaft 122, which shaft 124 is driven by theleft chains 106-106 passing around the sprocket wheels 111-111; and aplurality of sprocket Wheels 126-126 keyed to the common shaft 124 atsuch intervals that the right chains 106-106 run between the blush pairsin the right row. A third common shaft 127 is provided, similar to theshafts 122 and 124, at the right end of the apparatus. End sprocketwheels 128-123 of the right chains 106-106 and end discharge wheels109-109 are keyed to the shaft 127.

With the foregoing arrangement, it will be apparent that the auxiliaryconveyors 26-26 are effective to pick 1 0 up the advancing cords "11-1-1at approximate intermediate points along the length thereof, 'to pullthe :cords 11-1'1 between the opposing brushes 12-12 and -13-13'ofea'chpair, and to-discharge the "cords 11-11 freely intospace'when the cordshave passed 'entirelyout of the scrubbing areaS.

While one specific embodiment of the invention has been described indetail hereinabove, -it will be obvious that various modificationsmaybe'made from the specific details described without departing"fromithespirit and scope of the invention.

Whatis claimed is:

1. A cleaning apparatus, which comprises a pair of Ibrushes havinggenerally flat .circular brushing surfaces, one brush beingjprovided'with at least five concentric rings of bristles formed on'the'brushing surface thereof, which rings are of equal Widths andalternately contain long and short bristles, the other brush havingsimilar rings of bristles except thatthe positions oftthe long and shortbristles are reversed, so'that the long bristles of each brush maycontact the short bristles 'of the other brush atthe same time; meansfor mounting said brushes in "alignment with each other-so that theirbrushing surfaces contact each other; and means for causing oscillatingrotation between said brushes in opposition to each other.

2. Apparatus for scrubbing a flexible helical article, which apparatuscomprises a plurality of pairs of brushes having generally fiat circularbrushing surfaces, with 'matingly stepped, concentric rings 'of bristlesbeing 'formed'the brushing surfaces of'the brushes in each pair; meansfor mounting the brushes of each pair in alignment with each other sothat their brushing surfaces contact each other; means for causingoscillating rotation "between'the brushes of each pair in opposition toeach other; and means fora'dvancingthe flexible helicalarticle,

transverselyof itsilength, between the brushes of each pair'so that aportion "ofthe article is scrubbed by each brush 'pair,the"brush pairsbeingso'disposed with respect to the line of advancement 'of the articlethat'the article passes in'a substantiallystraight line between thebrushes 3. Apparatus for scrubbing a succession of spring cords, whichapparatus comprises a plurality o'f'pairs'of brushes having generallyflat circular brushing surfaces, with matingly stepped, concentric ringsof bristles being formed 'on the brushing surfaces of each pair; meansfor mounting the brushes of each pair in alignment With each other sothat their brushing surfaces contact each other; means for causingoscillating rotation between the brushes of each pair in opposition toeach other; a plurality of aligned pairs of clamps, each pair beingdesigned for securing opposite ends of a cord; an endless conveyordesigned for advancing the pairs of clamps so that the cords are carriedin succession, transversely of their lengths, between the brushes ofeach pair so that a portion of each cord is scrubbed by each brush pair,the brush pairs being so disposed with respect to the line ofadvancement of the cords that the cords pass in substantially straightlines between the brushes of each pair and so that all of the helicalportions of the cords advance between at least one pair of the brushes;and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors designed for gripping each cordin the sequence at points intermediate its clamped ends and for pullingthe cord, from the intermediate points, between the brushes of eachpair.

4. Apparatus for scrubbing a succession of spring cords, which apparatuscomprises a plurality of pairs of brushes having generally flat circularbrushing surfaces, with matingly stepped, concentric rings of nylonbristles of the order of 0.01" diameter being formed on the brushingsurfaces of each pair; means for mounting the brushes of each pairvertically and in alignment with each other so that their brushingsurfaces face each other; means for causing relative movement of saidbrushes toward and away from each other While said brushes are rotatingto permit adjustment of the spacing therebetween, the spacing being setat approximately one-quarter of an inch overlap; a tank containing adetergent cleaner for the cords, the lower brushes in each pair beingslidably received through the bottom of said tank, the liquid level insaid tank being such that the detergent solution is available at theinterface between the brushes of each pair at the set spacing betweenthe brushes of each pair; means for causing oscillating rotation betweenthe brushes of each pair in opposition to each other, saidlast-mentioned means being adjusted to provide an angle of oscillationof about 250; a plurality of aligned pairs of clamps, each pair beingdesigned for securing opposite ends of a cord; an endless conveyordesigned for advancing the pairs of clamps horizontally so that thecords are carried in succession, transversely of their lengths, betweenthe brushes of each pair and a portion of each cord is scrubbed by eachbrush pair, the brush pairs being so disposed with respect to the lineof advancement of the cords that the cords pass in substantiallystraight lines between the brushes of each pair and so that all of thehelical portions of the cords advance between at least one pair of thebrushes; and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors designed for grippingeach cord in the sequence at points intermediate its clamped ends andfor pulling the cord, from the intermediate points, between the brushesof each pair.

5. Apparatus for scrubbing a succession of spring cords, which apparatuscomprises a plurality of opposing pairs of brushes; a plurality ofaligned pairs of clamps, each pair being designed for securing oppositeends of a cord; 2. main conveyor designed for advancing the pairsofclamps so that the cords are carried in succession, transversely oftheir lengths, between the brushes of each pair so that a portion ofeach cord is scrubbed by each brush pair, the brush pairs being sodisposed with respect to theline of advancement of the cords that thecords pass in substantially straight lines between the brushes ofeachpair; and a plurality of auxiliary conveyors designed for gripping eachcord in the sequence at points intermediate its clamped ends and forpulling the cord, from the intermediate points, between the brushes ofeach pair.

6. Apparatus for scrubbing a succession of spring cords, which apparatuscomprises a plurality of opposing, intermeshing pairs of brushes; aplurality of aligned pairs of clamps, each pair being designed forsecuring opposite ends of a cord; a main conveyor designed for advancingthe pairs of clamps so that the cords are carried in succession,transversely of their lengths, between the brushes of each pair so thata portion of each cord is scrubbed by each brush pair, the brush pairsbeing so disposed with respect to the line of advancement of the cordsthat the cords pass in substantially straight lines between the brushesof each pair, the brush pairs being also mounted in at least twoparallel, offset rows with the brush pairs in each row being spaced fromeach other and with the brush pairs in each row being staggered withrespect to the next adjacent row to cover the spaces between the brushpairs in that row so that all of the helical portions of the cordsadvance between at least one pair of the brushes; a plurality ofauxiliary conveyors running in the spaces between each brush pair ineach row, said auxiliary conveyors being provided with a plurality ofclosely spaced lugs projecting therefrom, the lugs being designed forcatching each cord in the sequence at points intermediate its clampedends and in the spaces between the brush pairs in each row and beingfurther designed for pulling each cord, from the intermediate points,between the brushes of each pair, the speed of the auxiliary conveyorbeing synchronized with the speed of the main conveyor so that the lugsadvance at substantially the same speed as the cords are advancing; aplurality of resilient fingers, associated one with each auxiliaryconveyor and designed for retaining the cords against the auxiliaryconveyor; and a transfer wheel located at the discharge end of eachauxiliary conveyor and designed for extricating each cord from the lugsat the intermediate points after each cord has advanced beyond the brushpairs in each row.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS949,381 Polk Feb. 15, 1910 2,196,667 Moseley Apr. 9, 1940 FOREIGNPATENTS 789,223 Great Britain Jan. 15, 1958 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECERHMQATE @F @QRREQTWN Patent N00 2 973533 March "I 1961 Edward L,Premise Jr,

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read ascorrected belowa Column .2 line 5O for 'poviding" read me providing 5column 9 line 24 for "*luug read me lug 5. column 10 line 1 l for'approximate read he appropriate y line 31 after "formed" insert onSigned and sealed this 12th day of Septiember 19610 (SEAL) Attest:ERNEST W. SETDEE DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents Attesting OfficerUSCOMM-DC-

